Forbes: How Women of Color Can Advocate For Themselves In The Workplace

Click to read article on Forbes.com: How Women of Color Can Advocate For Themselves In The Workplace

How many of the senior executives at your organization are black women? I know you had to stop and think about that question for a bit, didn’t you? Countless studies have proven the disparities in the workplace regarding women of color. Although there are several movements committed to changing the narrative, the inequities persist across almost every industry.

In my last article, titled “Advocates for Women of Color: Taking It to the Next Level,” I wrote about the support I’ve received from advocates throughout my career. Since then, I’ve spoken with several other successful women and even held a social forum and learned that many had experiences similar to mine. They all resonated with the challenges I’ve faced in the workplace and understand that both having allies and advocating for yourself is crucial to shattering the glass ceiling.

Dr. Freda Russell, a mentor, published the article “Successful Women Leaders: The Convergence of Personal and Professional Promotion.” Therein, she shares several tactics and insight for organizations to implement gender-inclusive cultures, enforce sponsor programs and establish clear career pathways. She has designed research-based, innovative practices to develop leaders. Her advice for black women who must advocate for themselves includes being competent in business settings, exuding behaviors such as correcting offenses, being accountable, making expectations clear and being a great listener.

Dr. Eve Hall, colleague and president and CEO of the Greater  Milwaukee Urban League, has had several advocates throughout her career. Her staff consists of mostly women of color, and she has provided a space for candid conversations, room for mistakes and growth. Most leaders do not offer these sorely needed outlets. However, she understands that because black women have often been scarred on several levels, they tend to struggle with communicating in a nondefensive way. She is an excellent example of how leaders can better advocate for women of color and also how they should never lose sight of supporting others while advocating for themselves.

Below are additional helpful tactics. However, as assumed above, women of color have to put in extra effort to implement these tactics. Be prepared to encounter resistance and failure. Be resilient, educate and support others along the way. Most importantly, keep on moving. The story of Araminta Ross, a.k.a. Harriet Tubman, comes to mind, where she established a network of antislavery activists to support her missions. Harriet never gave up on her mission to free as many slaves as possible. And, she prepared the way for those who would follow in her footsteps.

Build A Support System. Connect with leaders and peers across your company and learn how they can help you. Establishing relationships was crucial in building my support network. Being an executive coach, I understand the importance of having coaches who can contribute to your development. In the past, I’ve also used executive coaches. I recently facilitated a social forum on this topic, and Symone Baldwin, a human resources professional, shared that she has found value in having mentors at different stages of her professional growth. I was so pleased to hear that she was building a support system quite early in her career journey.

Assess Your Strengths And Weaknesses. I’ve administered and personally taken 360-degree performance evaluations and StrengthsFinder assessments over the years. These evaluations were transformational and critical for my personal development. Kristin Hardy, a legal counsel, shared in the forum that she believes it is essential to get an objective assessment of your reputation at work to understand how you’re perceived. I couldn’t agree more, because when you know yourself, you can better advocate for yourself.

Pursue Your Options. Your employer may not be able to fulfill all your career goals, so pursue and understand your options. For example, I ran for a part-time government office while working full time and won! Ana Simpson, a director within her organization, shared that women should establish their own development plan, especially when their supervisor doesn’t initiate it. I agree. I’ve only had a few supervisors who have created a plan for me. I’ve typically had to create my own and pursue it.

Learn The Business. Broaden your horizons and learn the business by navigating the corporate environment. Get involved and get noticed by joining employee resource groups or volunteering to lead corporate events. There are several ways to get involved. Find them.

Always Be Polished (ABP). Professionalism is everything. I always ensure that I dress appropriately for my audience. In my book, 10 Reasons Communication Brings Transformation: Unleash Your Greatness, I explain the need to know your audience and how to package your message and presence accordingly. Ann Landry, a chief human resources officer, shared with the forum to never be invisible. She says to create your own brand, so when you walk into a room, people notice you. This can be your appearance, smile or even your walk.

Have Crucial Conversations. I’ve taken many courses over the years about how to have crucial conversations. They were critical in shaping how I framed my discussions with stakeholders. Lakiesha Russell, a licensed professional counselor, shared that it’s essential to have courageous conversations because often, we refrain from sharing our thoughts to spare the feelings of others. However, we must overcome fear and advocate for ourselves.

In the book Leveraging Intersectionality: Seeing and Not Seeing, Dr. Fay Cobb Payton believes that having leadership teams that represent a broad “intersection” of the world’s population is critical to navigating the increasing diversity of the 21st-century workforce. I couldn’t agree more since we must have more leaders who can become advocates. I resonate with her research around the intersectional perspectives regarding science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) inclusion. We both have similar backgrounds and understand that advocating for yourself in STEM fields can be tricky. Fay stresses that we must discern who we can trust and establish key relationships.

Several of these tactics have helped me throughout my career. However, note that competence is essential. I implore you to explore these tactics as you fulfill your life’s purpose.

I’m looking forward to hearing from you.